An Oregon Democrat running for Congress in a swing district sponsored legislation that sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to a program that discriminates against U.S. citizens and offers down payment assistance to illegal immigrants.
In 2022, State Rep. Janelle Bynum co-sponsored Senate Bill 1579, which implemented an Economic Equity Investment Program “to award grants to qualified organizations that provide culturally responsive services to disadvantaged individuals.” One grant recipient was the Hacienda Community Development Corp., which offers $30,000 in down payment assistance in Oregon “only for people who are not American citizens,” The Daily Caller reported last month. The bill allocated a $692,775 grant to Hacienda, the New York Post reported.
Bynum says she “knows how to fight for all Oregon families,” and her campaign website lists “addressing housing affordability” at the top of her platform.
“Too many Oregonians are priced out of their communities or unable to afford a home. That’s why in the state legislature, I worked on efforts to lower the cost of housing, protect tenants, and ensure low-income earners could pay their utility bills,” Bynum says. “I’ll continue to fight for housing affordability and remove red tape for housing construction in Congress.”
The Democrat’s policy page also focuses on addressing homelessness, “taking climate action,” and “lowering the cost of health care.” Bynum does not address the border crisis or illegal immigration on her campaign website. Her office has not responded to a Daily Wire request to comment on her support for SB 1579 and Hacienda’s down payment assistance for illegal immigrants.
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Bynum is in the midst of a competitive race for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican. Chavez-DeRemer blasted Bynum over her support for SB 1579 in a statement to The Daily Wire.
“Last year, Oregon had the second-highest percentage of unsheltered homeless in the nation, with more unaccompanied homeless youth than any other state,” Chavez-DeRemer wrote. “While I’ve been working toward commonsense solutions to improve housing access and affordability for our citizens, my opponent was busy pushing legislation that would only help noncitizens.”
“Doling out taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants will only worsen the problem by taking away opportunities for hardworking Oregon families, limiting the current housing supply, and driving prices even higher,” the Republican added.
More than 180,000 illegal immigrants reside in Oregon, according to a 2023 study published by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The illegal immigration crisis cost Oregon taxpayers $1.47 billion last year.
“While Oregon families struggle to afford a roof over their heads, Janelle Bynum is giving illegal immigrants massive taxpayer checks to buy houses. Bynum has made her extreme agenda crystal clear — criminals and illegal immigrants first, law-abiding American citizens last.” National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesman Ben Petersen told The Daily Wire.
Republicans currently hold a nine-seat majority in the U.S. House. Oregon has multiple House races that could be close in the 2024 election. Chavez-DeRemer flipped the 5th District from Democrat to Republican in the 2022 election. Bynum narrowly defeated Chavez-DeRemer in the 2016 and 2018 races for the Oregon House of Representatives.
